Spring construction



Patented Dec. 5, 1944 SPRING CONSTRUCTION Nicholas Wolofski, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Murray Corporation oi. America, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application July 6, 1942, Serial No. 449,843

6 Claims.

My invention relates to spring constructions, and particularly to a support for a top frame containing strips of spring material which are supported on arcuately disposed strips in offset relation to each other.

In my copending application, Serial No. 446,869, filed June 13, 1942, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, I have illustrated a seat made up of a bottom frame supporting arcuate strips, the ends of which support the top frame and spring strips attached thereto. In that construction the arcuately disposed strips are mounted in aligned relation on a pair of wires to which they are attached at spaced points to prevent the rocking of the strips thereon.

The present invention pertains to similar structure with the exception that the arcuate strips are mounted in offset relation to each other and are secured at the mid-point to a single wire of the base frame. The oifset relation of'the arcuate elements prevents them from rocking when supported at a single point and thereby eliminatesthe clips and extra wires employed with the structure of the above-mentioned application. The bottom and top frame may be circular elements to be applied to the top of a stool or to form a circular cushion. A pair of circular wire border frames are employed with the bottom frame having wires extending thereacross for supporting U-shaped spring elements, the ends of which support the top frame and the springs extending thereacross. The top frame, as well as the spring strips extending thereacross, will deflect due to the deflection of the springs thereof as well as the springs which form the support therefor. Stability is provided to the assembly by having certain of the U-shaped spring elements secured to one wire while others of the elements are secured to the other wires in out of aligned relation to each other. The same construction may be provided for frames of rectangular section to produce low, compact spring structures.

Accordin ly, the main objects of my invention are; to form a spring construction from a plurality of zig-zag spring strips spanning a border frame and supported on a plurality of upwardly extending strips which are fastened near their mid-points to wires of a base frame in out of line relation to each other; to provide a base frame with individual wires to which arcuate spring elements are secured near their mid-point with the end portions projected upwardly and secured to zig-zag spring strips which are supported on a border frame, with the arcuate spring elements disposed in out of line relation to eliminate the rocking of the elements which would otherwise occur; to form an annular cushion frame from a pair of ring-like border frames, the lower one of which has wires extending thereacross, the upper one of which has zig-zag spring strips supported thereon normal to the wires on the base frame, with the border frames supported in spaced relation to each other by arcuate zig-zag spring elements having their central portion attached to a wire of the base frame in out of aligned relation to each other; and in general, to form a compact, thin spring structure for a seat cushion which is simple in construction, and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of my invention will be either specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for. a better understanding of my invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a cushion spring structure which embodies features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 2-2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of structure, similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, showing a further form which my invention may assume; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3, taken on the line 4-4 thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated a spring construction 5, comprising an annular border element 6 for the base made of wire having wires I, 8 and 9 extending thereacross. The ends of the wires rest preferably upon the annular border element 6 and are welded directly thereto. Arcuately shaped upwardly presenting zig-zag spring strips I I are secured by the bands I2 to the wires 1, 8, and 9. The spring strips II, mounted on the wires 1 and 9, are disposed in aligned relation with each other while the strips I'I mounted on the wire 8 are offset from the strips which are secured to the wires 1 and 9 as illustrated in the figures.

An annularly shaped border wire I3 for the top has a plurality of zig-zag spring strips I4 and I5 secured thereto by the bands I2. The ends I6 of the strips II mounted on the wires I and 9 are secured to the central convolution I! of the strips III by the bands I2 while the outer ends I8 of the strips are secured to the annular border wire I3 and to the ends of the strip I4. The strips on the wire 8 are secured to the end convolutions of' theouter strips I5 which have the ends bent into parallelism with the border wire II and secured thereto by the bands It.

Rigidity is provided to the construction insofar as the tilting of the arcuate elements I I are concerned, by having the elements disposed in out of aligned relation to each other on the wires I and i with reference to those secured on the wire 8. An extremely compact resilient sprin structure is provided by the assembly in which stability is provided between the top and bottom border wires when employing a single wire for supporting the elements Ii on the base.

A similar construction is illustrated in Figs. 3' and 4, wherein a rectangular border frame 2| is provided at the top and the bottom oi the assembly. Zig-zag spring strips 22 extend across the top frame with alternate strips supported by the arcuate elements ii secured to the wires '1 and 9 while those therebetween are supported on the arcuate elemen'tsl'l" which are attached to the central wire I. 'Ihearcuate elements II are prevented from rocking on the individual wires in view of the offset relation of the elements il mounted on the wires land with the elements ll mounted on the wire I. It will be noted that while one of the zig-zag spring strips 22 is supported at its ends and at the central portion on the ends of a pair of arcuate elements II that the next adjacent strip 22 is supported interjacent these points on the ends of the element I I mounted on the wire I. This adds materially to the resiliency of the top surface of the structure as it breaks up any hard spots which might occur when the ends of the strips are secured to the zig-zag spring strips along parallel lines across the top of the frame.

What I claim is:

1. A spring construction, including in combination, a base border frame having wires disposed thereacross in parallel relation, -a similar frame for the top spring surface having a plurality of spring strips disposed thereacross normal to the wires in the base frame, arcuately disposed spring strips secured in aligned relation to said first spring strips on spaced wires of the border frame with the ends extending upwardly and secured to the top frame and certain of the spring strips extending thereacross, and additional arcuate spring strips secured to the base wire disposed between said spaced wires and having the ends extending upwardly and secured to other of the spring strips of the top frame.

2. In a spring structure having spaced base and top frames of annular form, a central and two adjacent wires spanning said base frame and secured thereto, spring strips spanning the top frame and disposed normal to the wires of the base frame, arcuate spring strips secured to the said adjacent wires with the ends extending upwardly and secured to the top frame and to certain of the spring strips extended thereacross, and additional arcuate spring strips secured on the central wire with the ends extending upwardly and secured to other of the spring strips ex-. tending across the top frame.

3, In a spring construction a pair of spaced top and bottom frames, wires extending across said bottom frame at the center and near the end portions thereof in parallel relation to each other, sis- 8 spring strips spanning the top frame and disposed normal to said wires, arcuately shaped zig-zag spring strips having the mid-portion secured to the wires and their end portions extending upwardly and secured to the spring strips of the top frame, certain of the arcuate strips being secured to the central wire while others thereof are secured to the wires spaced therefrom.

4. In a spring construction, a pair of spaced top and bottom frames, wires extending across said bottom frame at the center and near the end portions thereof in parallel relation to each other, zig-zag spring strips spanning the top frame and disposed normal tosaid wires, arcuately shaped zig-zag spring strips having the midportion secured to the wires and their end portions extending upwardly and secured to the spring strips of the top frame, certain of the arcuate strips being secured to the central wire while others thereof are secured to the wires spaced therefrom, said spring strips secured to the wires adjacent to the end portion being in aligned relation to each other and to one of said zig-zag spring strips of the top frame.

5. In a spring construction, a pair of border frames disposed in spaced apart relation, zigzag spring strips spanning one of the border frames, wires extending across the other border frame and disposed in normal relation to said 40 zig-zag spring strips, and arcuate zig-zag spring strips disposed between said frames and being secured to said wires and to said zig-zag spring strips spanning said frame at points in out of aligned relation on adjacent strips.

6. The combination with spaced base and top frames, of a plurality of arcuate spring strips secured to the base frame at points aligned longitudinally and laterally of the frame and having the ends extending upwardly adjacent to opposite edges of said top frame and to points interjacent thereof, fiat spring strips spanning said edges of the top frame, some of said flat strips being aligned with said arcuate spring strips, and additional arcuate spring strips secured to said base frame in staggered relation to the first said arcuate spring strips having upwardly extending ends secured to other of said flat strips at points in staggered relation to the ends of the first said arcuate strips.

NICHOLAS WOIDFSKI. 

